UFC 210: We’re in New York Again?

It sure feels like it’s been years since the last UFC PPV event, doesn’t it? It also feels like this is the 17th event in a row in the Empire State. The UFC really is cashing in on this whole “MMA is now legal” thing…

But I digress. You know the drill here – I’m going to give you my daily fantasy picks for this Saturday’s card so that you can go make some walk around money on Draft Kings. Remember, these picks are not necessarily who I would pick in a pick’em, but they do provide real value in the context of daily fantasy sports.

Both fighters in the main event are relatively inexpensive (and have identical cost) considering the talent they both posses. Daniel Cormier did win their last fight, but not after a few scary moments. Anthony Johnson can end anyone’s night in the blink of an eye, but he is also not very effective when fighting from behind. I believe that DC has the best chance to win this one, but picking against Rumble’s fight-changing power is playing with fire. A first round KO = gazillions of DFS points.

Patrick Cummins is nothing to write home about, a very good wrestler with undeveloped striking and a suspect chin. However, his opponent is a decent striker with no wrestling, and has been taken down over and over again in previous matches against fighters with a modicum of wrestling skill. Match up math says Cummins for the victory, and DFS math says Cummins is relatively inexpensive.

The last PPV event, UFC 209, featured Cynthia Calvillo. That might not be a long lay-off, but when you submit your opponent inside of 2 minutes you really don’t need much time to recover. Her TAM wrestling provides a bad stylistic matchup for Pearl Gonzalez, so you can role with confidence here.

We’re going to need some really inexpensive fighters to fill out our roster, and you can do a lot worse than Thiago Alves. While his skills have clearly been declining, so have his opponent Patrick Cote’s. Cote, however, is extremely hittable, and hitting your opponent wins you points in DFS.

Irene Aldana is another extremely inexpensive fighter on Saturday’s card. The fight should be kickboxing match, and she throws with much more power than her opponent. While she is hittable at times, her ability knockdown her opponent puts her into your DFS lineup.

On the other end of the price spectrum lies Magomed Bibulatov. However, the undefeated prospect has good reason to be so expensive. Bibulatov is as well rounded as prospects come, and might very well hold the flyweight belt in the future. Lausa, his opponent, is dangerous in his own right, but BIbulatov is simply better in every single aspect. You don’t want to miss out on the finish here.

Take this advice to heart, enjoy the fights, and go win some beer money.